Economy in Brief: 2010

The gain in February sales, while small, was impressive. Retail sales rose 0.3% after a 0.1% January uptick that was revised down from the 0.5% increase reported last month. A 0.2% decline had been expected for February sales. On a [...]

The gain in February sales, while small, was impressive. Retail sales rose 0.3% after a 0.1% January uptick that was revised down from the 0.5% increase reported last month. A 0.2% decline had been expected for February sales. On a [...]

U.S. nonfinancial corporations paid down debt in Q4 2009, according to the Federal Reserve's Flow-of-Funds data reported today, March 11. The contraction was minimal, $8.2 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, but it is the [...]

Improvement in the labor market is ongoing, but slowing. Initial claims for jobless insurance slipped 6,000 last week to 462,000 from a little revised 468,000 during the prior week. Versus last month claims fell slightly and from [...]

The back off in Japan’s core machinery orders this week began to deflate expectations for a capital formation jolt to spur growth. Still, gross capital formation did fall much more slowly in Q4 compared to Q3 as plant and equipment [...]

Though the recession has ended, Americans' appetite for imported products remained under wraps last month. As a result, the U.S. foreign trade deficit improved to $37.3B from a little-revised $39.9B during December. The latest figure [...]

Though the recession has ended, Americans' appetite for imported products remained under wraps last month. As a result, the U.S. foreign trade deficit improved to $37.3B from a little-revised $39.9B during December. The latest figure [...]

Though the recession has ended, Americans' appetite for imported products remained under wraps last month. As a result, the U.S. foreign trade deficit improved to $37.3B from a little-revised $39.9B during December. The latest figure [...]